Easy Tomato Soup Recipe with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Baby it’s cold outside…. When will this deep freeze be over? I feel for all my friends and family in much colder areas than here in VA. I thought I would share Barefoot Contessa’s Easy Tomato Soup Recipe with Grilled Cheese Croutons to bring some good old comfort food your way. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches remind me so much of my childhood and this is a grown up version the whole family will enjoy.

This is such an easy tomato soup and with canned tomatoes so readily available, buy the best you can afford. You don’t have to wait for summer for a fresh tasting tomato soup. Really who is eating tomato soup in the summer anyway?

Since we don’t own a Pannini grill it was just as affective to use a grill pan and then add a heavy pot on top. You can achieve the grill marks easily and if you want the smooshed look of a Pannini grill add the heavy pot on top.

My kids also don’t care for guyere cheese so we substituted cheddar for most of the sandwiches. I am a traditionalist myself so I went with the sharp cheddar.

You will definitely want to make extra soup, you will want to have it another day too. Go ahead and dip a full size sandwich into this easy tomato Soup recipe, no one is watching!!

What is your favorite comfort soup?

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheeese Croutons

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour20 minutes

Relive your childhood with this easy tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons. A warm and hearty soup and don't worry you can still dip your sandwiches. Recipe compliments of Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients

3 tbsps Olive oil

3 cups yellow onions chopped, 2 onions

1 TBSP minced garlic 3 cloves

4 cups chicken stock, I use low sodium

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 large pinch saffron threads

kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup orzo

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 slices slices country white bread we used whole wheat

2 tbps butter, melted

4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered top.

For Grilled cheese croutons: Heat a panini grill or just a skillet Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up. Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Every time I visit your recipes I immediately get hungry! =) These looks delicious and I myself love grilled and tomato soup and am one that dips my sandwich in my soup 😉 I will definitely try this now. Thanks for sharing.